MALE TALES Issue 1.077; Surviving your own

Issue 1.077: surviving your own .....

My first time moving out of my home comfort zone to be on my own was when I enrolled to college. Let me relate to you some experience then.
Here I am late teens and all dressed up in t-shirt and jeans, holding the piece of paper that says ‘you are in on the condition you pay your fees first ‘.  And guess what, I am the last batch to be approved aka means others did not registered so I am the filler.
How do I know?
Its only two days to Orientation or ‘Welcome to the College Day’. Gee, I made it before they closed the gate. Anyway, I was standing by the staircase which is the only place devoid of moving traffic and cluster of people in the Hall. And the guard came up to me and said; ‘move away’. I replied; ‘huh?’ and he pointed up. I guess he meant I was a voyuer. I am not, so I moved to the far corner to wait for my number and making sure there is a ceiling over me, and no windows besides me. So I guess I am safe from being re-classified on my first hour in college.
Okay, I signed, I paid and given a silly design shirt to wear plus ‘please make your way to the main hall’.... it was the canteen actually with rows of benches. So I proceeded like a trail of cattles to the abatoir... sorry, main hall. There I sat and met some guys who are like me; newbies. We shook hands and exchanged greetings and forgotten their names by the next hour.
It was the usual repertoire by the Staff and then we were ursher off by the class assigned. There I got tropping off with thirty others all looking like innocent lambs. The first thing they showed us were the toilets locations; essential in times of need. And then the canteen; equally important, and we proceed on a tour de look of the college. Luckily then, it was not that big, only a couple of hectares wide. And guess what we adjouned for lunch, and the senior ( he is the chappies who took us around ) says the food outside is better than the ones in the canteen. But that means walking across those hectares and coming back for the afternoon session, I guess not. Honestly, food in the canteen was not too bad; for one who is eating it first time, but after spending three years there, I can agreed with the senior.
After all the tour de look, it was a scamble for accomodations; and its on your own. Here I am running to the notice board and going down the list available. I am maybe the one of more than a thousand newbies looking at probably one hundred available rooms. Its frantic and crazy, and who cares about being molested then. But I was saved by an old friend who was studying there, and we bump into each other, he introduced me to who and who and I found my room, three miles away by bus, cramped three in a room, and shared by all nine of us in the same house, but wow.... its coed...I mean three guys and six ladies.
And so the college life starts... studies and mixing with new friends including ladies, and exchanging names, and envy those who drives to the college, even though its a rundown mini.
But guess what?
I met my first real love then. And college days ain’t that bad after that.
And all this happened in one week of college...... and I spend over a hundred fifty weeks there.... gee, that is long... but its more enjoyable when you have someone to share with.